Graduate Studies Personal Statement

On many levels, I secretly desire to be this professional social worker that has experienced many different realms of social work practice. As I maneuver through my first couple days of field, many questions run through my mind as to what’s to be expected of a master’s level social work. Although, I’ve only had the pleasure of working children and families as a social worker; it has broaden my desire to want to know more.

Completing my master’s degree in social work creates a better opportunity and a brighter career path. I am extremely excited about working in this field. The thought of helping

One thing that I have always been certain of when it comes to my future is that I want to inspire, help, and have a positive impact on as much people as possible. I want to fight for those that have no voice and create any necessary social change in my community. The field of social work would help me accomplish that. Social work is a broad field where I would be able to work with various populations of people throughout the community ranging from children to the elderly. I believe that by pursuing a master’s degree in social work I will have a sense of deep satisfaction knowing that I will be prepared to face any obstacle in my future as a social worker. I am aware that social work can be challenging but knowing that I will be able to advocate for others that are helpless and fight for social justice will be very rewarding. I first became interested in social work seven years ago, after my aunt and her husband decided to become foster parents, I would help my aunt take care of the children, and they were all very sweet kids that I will never forget. My aunt and her husband were given the opportunity to adopt a 5-year-old girl and shortly after were able to adopt her newborn sister. It was a very joyous day for our family when the adoption was finalized. During that time I met their social worker, she was a very kind and knowledgeable woman that inspired me to pursue a career in social work. I admired how passionate she was about her job and how much she enjoyed making an

There are several goals that I hope to achieve by pursuing a graduate degree in Social Work. Pursuing a MSW will provide me with the knowledge, tools, and skills-set that will be fundamental to the achievement my career goals outlined below.

Within the past twenty-five years, my life experiences have led me to become passionate about social work. Although my journey in social work hasn 't been something I’ve always known I wanted to do when I was young, a combination of personal, professional, and academic experiences has pointed me into the direction where I am today. As the oldest out of four siblings, my family has always worked hard to get where they’re at now. Knowledge of my parent 's personal; as well as, their professional struggle of not having a college degree has led them to work hard for everything they 've received in their life. Acknowledging what my parents have gone through has pushed me to receive my Associates in Liberal Arts so that I will able to graduate with my Bachelor of Social Work in the Spring 2017.

With a master 's level education in social work, I see myself envisioning clients’ health and well-being. As a student, I will study and practice techniques, beyond a generalist perspective, that will allow me to give clients hope and the ability to see something greater than what they are facing. Upon completion of a Master of Social Work direct practice degree and certificates in gerontology and mental health programs, I intend to become a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I will competently incorporate specialized skills in different professional settings while developing my knowledge of a wide range of social issues and professional standards. With commitment, I wish to develop skills that will enable me to create or find hidden resources and services for my future clients, create platforms through counselling for victims of trauma.

The decision to take the clinical route as a second year MSW graduate student, was one that took no hesitation to make. My passion for children and the preservation of families have been a propelling factor in my Social Work career; both academically and professionally. These two entities have motivated me to remain steadfast on the journey to obtaining my MSW so I can continue to be a vessel for children and families who are in need of support and empowerment. The clinical spectrum of social work practice has strengthened my ability to work proficiently with multiple clients and perform well when assisting families in different realms of social work practice. The knowledge gained during my four years as an undergraduate BSW student and

Prior to being in graduate school I was not fully aware of all the opportunities and experiences in social work. I have since gained more knowledge of macro level opportunities in the field of social work, such as advocating for human rights, and social justice. I have also been presented with the chance to tackle tough policies that directly impacts clients that I have interacted with through my experience in social work. I plan to continue to identify weakness in various systems to promote social justice, and learn more ways to change social institutions to be more humane and

I began my social work studies over twenty-five years ago at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. I never questioned my decision to pursue a career in social work; I loved my classes and worked hard to learn as much as possible. But the information I gained in undergraduate school simply opened the doors of my education. Most of my learning has come through constant questioning, personal research, and especially through work and life experience. Through these experiences I have encountered the challenges faced by individuals, families, and society and have been able to further access and develop the innate personality traits and abilities that originally led me to study social work as well as learn and practice the many skills necessary to be a successful mental health counselor.

After I graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara I was unsure what my next step would be. Of course I was anxious since I did not have experience working nor did I excel in my undergrad studies however, I knew I needed to use my newly earned degree in a positive way. Fast forward, after working for two years, I have gained the skills, knowledge and values from my work experiences that have confirmed my desire to advance my education in the social work field. I currently have my own case load of clients as a case manager at a level 12 group home but it’s time to take the next step forward. I want to ultimately advance social justice and provide services to assist individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.

The most important experiences I’ve had in science began when I was a child and have continued through my time as a student researcher at Howard University. My exposure to science in medicine occurred at a young age and on an intimate level. When I was young, I had various health problems asthma, allergies, and eczema; it was as if my body was rejecting the world it was in. My parents immigrated to the United States so their children could have the opportunity to realize our dreams. Every day I think about the hardships they went through and it pushes me, and makes me a better scientist. The challenges I experienced at a young age sparked my initial interest in medicine, but later influenced my decision to pursue MD/PhD. As a child frequently

I believe social work is a passion and is consistent with my personality traits: loyalty, commitment, and personal servitude. This passion coupled with the forthcoming skills gained from an MSW degree at Florida International University, I will have the honor of becoming a professional social worker with unlimited possibilities to advocate, provide direct services or lead an organization-all of which will lead to my ultimate goal of positively affecting the lives of vulnerable people. FIU offers a quality, high-intensity program that will surely equip me with the tools to do this great profession and act of public service

One of my academic goals is to get the best education possible at Allan Hancock College before I transfer. I will accomplish this by always paying attention to all my teachers and do all my work and most importantly make school my number one priority. Another academic goal that I have is to transfer to Cal Poly or Long Beach and obtain my Master’s degree in education. I also want to graduate with honor and with a 3.5 GPA or above. I decided that I wanted to be a teacher because I like helping people out and also I enjoy working with kids. I selected these goals because my economic background is not the great, most of the money that my family makes goes to the rent and daily expenses. We live in a small apartment and we are a family of five; we don’t usually go out and eat at restaurants only in special occasions.

The vision that I have for my future and career is a positive one. I started my MBA program at GCU with a positive attitude, determination to stay in the program and complete it successfully. My desire and vision after I complete my program is to take up a new challenge of starting my own small business in the area of non-medical Care Giving Services. This business will give me a great deal of opportunities to utilize all that I’ve learnt throughout my program. Through the small business that I’m looking to set up, I will have the opportunity to offer quality Care Giving Services to clients who have disabilities of one form or another. Not all clients get the quality care that they deserve in the care giving business, so I will focus on rendering loving and compassionate care that will make life easier for our clients. The services rendered and our core values will be in the best interest of the clients.

Every worthwhile journey begins with one step. My social work journey began when I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Utah in 2003. I thought my next step would be to immediately pursue a graduate degree. In my undergraduate career I had taken numerous classes from the College of Social and Behavioral Science and had done well in those classes. In my Social Work as a Profession course I had an assignment to shadow a social worker and write a paper about my experience. I chose to shadow my father-in-law, a social worker with over 30 years of experience, and in my paper I expressed my desire to go into the social work field. I knew I liked helping people. I knew I liked problem solving and critical thinking. I thought my 22 year-old self was ready to embark on that journey, but I wasn’t. I realize now that what I lacked at graduation was one crucial step… perspective. Over the past twelve years I have gained that much needed perspective and have taken many steps forward in my journey, and with those steps and that increased perspective, I now feel more fully prepared to begin my social work career.